


A Time to Heal Time Stamp: Visitors, Ice Skating, Quilts and Mistletoe

by Dawn_twilight



Series: A Time to Heal [11]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: A Time to Heal Time Stamp, Christmas A-Z, Family Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24532672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawn_twilight/pseuds/Dawn_twilight
Summary: He could feel himself starting to drift, which hadn't exactly proven his point that he was okay and ready to spend the evening out with his family. Still, a banging on the front door jolted him from his light slumber, and while he was wiping his eyes, he saw his dad get up from his comfortable chair and make his way down the hall.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: A Time to Heal [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/20424
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	A Time to Heal Time Stamp: Visitors, Ice Skating, Quilts and Mistletoe

Danny helped his siblings carry dishes into the kitchen, placing them on the sink side, where his brothers-in-law were washing and drying, and his sisters and Steve were sorting and putting away. 

It was faster that way, as the dishwasher was getting old, and multiple loads would need to be done, and the burden would be on their mother.

And they all knew her rule, if ma cooked, someone else had to clean up.

Speaking of his mother, she was currently sitting on the sofa in the family room, surrounded by her grandbabies, still watching Rudolph, which had to have been for at least the fifth time today.

She waved him over, and Grace slid to the floor so he could sit by his ma, and she wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulled him in close and sloppy kissed him on the temple, just like she would do when he was little and how she kissed her grandchildren now.

"How ya doing, Sweetie?" she asked, as Charlie toddled over to JJ and plopped into his cousin's lap.

"I'm good, Ma…"

"Good," she turned her attention back to the little boy babbling to her only other grandson and then said, "Charlie is so excited to be around all his cousins… I'm so glad Rachel agreed to let the kids come this year."

He was glad too, although he hadn't seen how she had much choice. Once he had found out that Charlie was his child, he went back to court to petition for and won joint custody, just like with Grace. They submitted a name change so that instead of his little boy's name being Charles William Edward, it was now legally Charles Edward Williams.

Danny had Steve to thank for all of that.

It was Steve's suspicion that Charlie was Danny's baby and Steve, who had a word with Rachel to encourage her to have a paternity test and a few of Steve's contacts who helped them get their petition together and the paperwork in order, for the name change.

And yes, it hadn't escaped him that he was referring to his children as theirs.

His and Steve's.

His mom asked him, "are you sure you want to go tonight?"

She was talking about taking the littles to the nearby ice skating rink, and the answer was yes, so he told her, "I'll be fine, Ma…Steve can take the kids out on the ice, and I will stay on the sideline and take lots of pictures.

"Okay," his Ma shifted, pulling Danny closer still, so he settled in and watched as Rudolph saved Christmas again.

He could feel himself starting to drift, which hadn't exactly proven his point that he was okay and ready to spend the evening out with his family. Still, a banging on the front door jolted him from his light slumber, and while he was wiping his eyes, he saw his dad get up from his comfortable chair and make his way down the hall.

They all head Jim yell, "what is he doing here?"

And then a little jingling bell and the pitter-patter of tiny paws sounded as Dinky came running into the family room and right up to his Ma, already growling at Danny for daring to be so close to his mother.

"Dinky?" Mel asked as Danny sat up straighter, and then she called, "Bee?"

"Hey, Ma!" 

Danny's baby sister came into the family room, unwarping a blue woolen scarf from around her neck, pulling a hat from her head, letting her long reddish hair flow over her shoulders.

"What are you doing here so soon, honey?"

"Have you people not been watching the weather forecast?" she asked, "they are calling for maybe a foot or more this weekend, so I decided to gather up Dinks and come a little early."

Danny shifted so his mother could get up from the couch and give her youngest daughter a proper Williams hug, followed by his Pop and then the rest of the family.

Steve came over and sat beside Danny, but they hadn't escaped Bee's attention.

She handed her dad her coat and walked over to them, leaning in to give Danny a gentle hug, as Steve stood again, fidgeting like he hadn't known what to do.

As soon as Bee straightened up, she pulled Steve in, ending his partner's indecision and hugged the stuffing out of him.

"Don't break him, please," Danny told her. "I kinda like him."

"Kinda," Steve got out before Bee went in for another hug.

"You know I love ya, babe," Danny told him, then waved off all the "awws," uttered him from various family members.

"Don't worry, D. I won't hurt him too much." 

When she let Steve go, he sank back into the cushion next to Danny, his face a little red, but he suffered no permanent damage that Danny could see.

"Danno?" Grace moved to stand in front of her dad, asking, "does that mean we won't get to go ice skating?"

Danny picked up his phone from the side table, "let me check, Monkey."

Bee sat on the coffee table, grabbing Grace up in a hug, kissing her head and telling her, "don't worry, Gracie. It's only snowing a little now, and the heavy stuff won't happen for another day."

The weather app was predicting a significant snowfall, but that wasn't due to start until early Sunday morning, so Danny asked his sister, "you're not staying in a hotel, are you?"

"Nope. I'm spending the night in JJ's top bunk."

Her nephew asked, "what?" but his mother shushed him.

"And then me and Dinks will hit the road tomorrow after the party, so I don't get stuck here with all you lovely people."

"You can have your old room, Aunt Bee," Grace told her, still snug in the circle of her Aunt's arms. "I can sleep in Charlie's room."

"Very kind of ya, sweetie, but I am actually staying in your Aunt Becca's guest room. I just like to pick on JJ."

"Hey," JJ said, but his mother just shushed him again, so Bee reached over and ruffled his hair.

"I wouldn't pick on ya bud if I didn't love ya."

"I know," came JJ's begrudging reply, but then he stood and asked, "So can we get to going then?" 

Grace chimed in, "yeah, Danno. Can we?"

"Go get your coat and hat and gloves," Danny told her and then slowly stood from the couch, giving his sister a proper hug when Grace ran down the hallway to grab her stuff.

"It's really great to see ya, D," his sister whispered, then let him go so that she could grab her stuff and get ready for the ice rink.

His mom picked up Charlie and blew a raspberry on his cheek, making the little boy giggle and squirm, telling Danny, "me and pop will keep the bub and get him bathed and to bed, so you guys don't have to hurry back."

Danny nodding, knowing that she wasn't just offering to take Charlie, but telling Danny that she was.

"Thanks, Ma," he grabbed Steve's arm and pulled him down the hallway, going to the closet to get their coats and gloves and hats, making sure Grace had what she needed and handed Steve the keys to the rental car, telling him, "It's only a few miles away. Are you okay to drive in the snow?"

"Yeah, Danno. I got it."

They got Grace buckled in, and Danny waved to the others as they got their families situated in cars and minivans. 

"Meet ya there," Danny called, ducking down into the passenger seat, getting out of the fresh snow that was falling.

Traffic was light, and the rink really was just a few miles away. Steve pulled into the closest parking spot to the front entrance that he could and turned off the ignition and unbuckled his belt, hurrying around the car to open Grace's door and help her get her footing on the slippery asphalt.

Danny had gotten his door opened, but did accept Steve's hand to help get him up from the seat and then hung onto that same hand as Steve carefully picked up Grace and slowly and carefully walked over the icy surface.

The front lobby had hooks for coats and scarves, so Danny helped Grace from her jacket and then handed it to Steve to shed his own and hung it on the hook next to the others.

It had been years since he had been in the rink.

This is where he used to play ice hockey in his youth, but Danny had given up the sport when he was about sixteen, which was right around the same time that he and Ritchie had started to…whatever it was that they had and Billy had drowned.

He couldn't bring himself to return to the team that he and his best friend both played for.

Life after Billy just wasn't the same, so it was bittersweet that he was here now, with his own baby.

The place looked and smelled the same...dingy walls, poorly lite halls and cheap pizza and stale popcorn, underlined with a hint of body odor.

Steve paid for the rental skates, his brothers-in-law doing the same, and soon they were all seated on various benches helping kids to lace boots tightly so that there would be less chance of someone rolling an ankle.

On the other side of the rink stood the snack shack, and in front of it, a few tables, which Danny decided would be a more comfortable place to sit and get pictures, and he wouldn't have to climb up into the bleachers.

Once Grace's laces were done, he turned to check on Steve's progress, who already had his skates laced and was ready to go.

For a kid who grew up on a tropical island, Danny was surprised that Steve hadn't needed any help and made a mental note to ask if they trained Seals in the art of ice skating too.

"Let's go around to the stand," he told Steve, canting his head in that direction.

Becca came walking toward them, so Danny asked, "not skating?"

"Nope…I am getting too old to risk life and limb on the ice."

He nodded but wasn't convinced. He thought that maybe they had drawn straws or made some other arrangements to keep him company while the rest of the family entered the rink.

"You got her," he asked Steve, who had taken the guards off the bottom of his blades and had managed to find a pole guide for Grace, in case she needed something to lean on while she skated and got used to being on the ice.

Danny had gotten Grace rollerblades the previous Christmas so that they could play hockey together, but ice skating was a whole different skill set.

"We'll be fine," Steve called, stepping onto the ice and holding Grace up until she got a good grip on the bar and was able to push it along in front of her.

"So," Becca said, walking around the table and sitting. "Steve seems great."

Danny knew what that twinkle in her eye meant, but he rolled his own and told her, "He is great."

A couple of the kids went whizzing by, reminding Danny he was supposed to be documenting the outing for his ma. He stood and pulled his phone from his pocket, getting a few shots of his nieces and nephew, waiting for Steve and Grace to get closer before he got a few pictures of them too. 

His little girl's face lit up in wonder and excitement, and Steve's steadying hand on her shoulder was a real comfort for him. 

He knew that Steve would do everything and anything to not let their girl fall.

He must have had a goofy grin on his face because his sister said, "and that smile…it looks good on you, big brother."

"Yeah, well…" He sat back down at the table and picked up the menu, pretending to not know what the snack shack offered, even though he used to work it back when he was on the team, continuing, "I'm trying some new things."

She patted his shoulder and bumped her arm against him, saying, "Well, I'm glad that those new things seem to be really working out for you…you deserve…"

When she hadn't continued, Danny put the paper menu down and gave his sister his full attention.

Finally, she finished, "You deserve to be happy and healthy, and I'm just so happy for you."

"Aw…thanks Becca," Danny only wished health and happiness for all his family too. He also knew that his sister was saying more than her words…She was relieved that Danny was doing okay after the shooting. And not only okay but thriving. 

Danny was thankful for all that too.

His life after the incident could have gone in so many different ways.

But instead of dwelling on those gloomy thoughts, like Danny would have in the past. 

That he would have obsessed over. 

Wondering when what he had found now would end

He instead focused on having a good man he loved and who loved him, his baby girl, and finding out that he also had a baby boy.

His family.

His folks and his sisters and their families.

They were almost all there and together, and that was what Danny chose to dwell on.

"Danno!"

He waved as his daughter went by, without the bar brace, confidently skating next to Steve.

He grabbed his phone, taking a few more pictures, then chatted with his sister about life and family.

In a bit, the whole crew came in, looking for something to drink and a snack, because clearly ice skating burned off their huge dinner and after dinner snacks.

"Can I get a hot chocolate, Danno?" His sweet daughter's face was flushed from her exertions, but the rink was cold, so he nodded his head and pulled out a chair so she could sit and rest while he went to fetch her a hot drink.

He asked Steve, "you want anything, babe?"

Steve plopped in the other empty chair, but he hadn't looked as worn out as all the kids. 

"Sure, baby… I'll take whatever you're having."

"I better check on my crew," Becca told them, standing and wondering over to the table with Josh and JJ.

Danny waited in the short line, getting them hot chocolate topped with mini marshmallows and a cone of caramel corn, one of his favorite ice rink snacks. 

It always reminded him of the holidays and how his own pop would get them each a hot chocolate and snack after an hour or so of ice skating.

The rest of his family were busy chatting or snacking as he brought the tray back to the little round table where Steve and Grace waited. "Here we go," he said, handing out the hot drinks and paper cones of caramel corn.

"Thanks, babe," Steve told him, digging into his treat while Grace echoed the appreciation and tentatively sipped her drink. 

"So…how was it, Monkey? Did ya show your uncle Steve how to stay on his feet?"

"Danno…" her incredulous face told him how silly she thought he was. "Uncle Steve is a good ice skater, and he stopped me from falling a few times…but I finally did it all on my own."

Danny glanced at Steve, who just eyed him over the rim of the steaming paper cup.

He really wanted to know when Steve had learned to ice skate, but instead of asking, he told Grace, "That's great, baby… I'm glad, Uncle Steve was there to help you."

"Don't worry, daddy," she told him. "Next year, when your belly is all better, we can all get out on the ice."

His heart melted just a bit.

His baby already knew that next year they would all still be together and that he would be even better than he is now, and that got him thinking about how he could assure that reality.

He had an appointment with his surgeon on the first Friday in the new year. He had been still waffling between getting his ostomy reversed, or just continuing to learn to live with his new reality. 

But now, he was leaning toward having the surgery.

His everyday life was going okay…his home life hadn't been affected by his injury, and ostomy…he could still play with his kids and do his daily chores, he could do a modified workout to help build his muscle mass back up…he had even been surfing.

And he had been doing okay at work, but he knew he would never be able to fully be in the field and keep up with Steve, to have his partner's back, if he had to worry about his Colostomy.

Steve leaned closer and asked him, "are you okay, babe?"

Danny nodded and turned to give his partner a quick peck on the lips, which did not go unnoticed by his nosey family, but he ignored the giggles from the younger people and the catcalls from those who should really know better and leaned in even closer for a proper kiss.

When he pulled away, Steve was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes a little crossed, but he said, "okay, then…"

"Daddy, I'm still cold, and my ankles hurt…can we go now?"

Danny pulled her in and kissed her head too, telling her, "sure, Monkey. Get your boots unlaced, and I'll go grab your shoes."

He jogged around to the bleacher seating and grabbed both sets of tennis shoes, and when he had gotten back, the rest of his family were in the process of packing it in.

Bee came over once she had her shoes on and told him, "we're all heading out, but we'll see you guys tomorrow for the party," and pulled him into another hug, telling him, "I love ya, bro."

"Love ya too, Honey Bee...we'll see ya tomorrow."

His family said their goodbyes with huge hugs and peeks on cheeks, and soon it was just he and Grace and Steve still at the tables.

"Ready to head out?" Steve asked, taking Grace's hand and Danny's in his other, holding on and lending his strength and stability back across the parking lot and to the rental car.

The snow was really coming down now, but Danny hadn't grumbled when Steve got behind the wheel, and within ten minutes, they were pulling into the driveway of his childhood home.

Grace ran ahead of them, and by the time he and Steve got in the door, she was out of sight.

His mother was in the kitchen, warming the kettle on the stove, and when she heard them, she turned with a sweet smile on her face, telling them. "Tea will be ready in a few. Charlie fell asleep after his bath with pop in the easy chair, so I sent them both up to the bed, and hurricane Gracie just blew through, giving me a goodnight a kiss before I sent her up for a bath."

His mother went to the staircase, saying, "I'll get her tucked in…you two can stay up late and enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Thanks, ma."

"Good night, Mel."

"Good night, boys. I'll see you for breakfast," and then she was gone up the steps.

"Want to watch a movie," Steve asked him, taking Danny's coat from him and stowing them in the hall closet.

He thought about it for a second or two but then shook his head, telling Steve, "I have a better idea…you get the tea ready… I'll be right back."

Danny jogged up the back steps and went to the attic stairs that led to a playroom come hang out space where he and his siblings spent a good bit of their time growing up, stopping in the doorway for a beat before flipping on the light switch and stepping in. 

He hadn't visited this room on this trip. 

Unlike the bedrooms below, this space had essentially remained the same.

He had many wonderful memories of being in this room, from playing cops and robbers with his sisters and then his little brother, when Matty came along.

Watching TV and taking turns being the human antenna.

Jumping around on the old, worn couch and Lazyboy recliner, pretending the floor was lava.

He even had his first puff of a cigarette he had swiped from his dad when he was only twelve years old.

This was also the room they would come to after school, and he would listen to his sister's cry over some stupid boy that could end up with a black eye or busted nose, depending on why they were crying.

This was where Matty cried on his shoulder after his very first heartbreak.

This was the room that Ritchie punched him in the gut so hard, he threw up and then had to make excuses about it to his parents when he came down to find supplies to clean up the mess.

And this was the room he had found himself in when he had flown home after Matty took off, to explain to his parents that their baby was a wanted fugitive.

But as he stood here now, thinking of the past, taking in the same couch and toy box and old TV, be thought about his kids and folks sleeping in the rooms below and most of his family being in town for a Christmas celebration the next day and he thought about Steve...his future.

As he moved into the room, he grabbed the worn quilt off the back of the sofa that his grandma made and then knelt on the worn carpet at an old trunk that used to belong to his grandpa.

The trunk had been in this space for as long as he could remember, but none of the kids would get into it unless Grandpa said they could.

When his grandpa passed a few years ago, he left the trunk and all the treasures it held to Danny, his first grandson, and entrusted him with thoughtfully passing out the contents to loved ones.

There really wasn't anything of monetary value amongst the mementos. Still, there used to be stacks of love letters his grandma had sent to his grandpa while he was away at war. There used to be collected trinkets from vacations and travel. Newspaper clippings and pictures... weddings and babies and kids and birthdays and Christmas and quite a few old photos of trucks that his grandpa loved to tinker with.

Danny rummaged around the few treasures he decided to keep for himself until he found the smaller box he was looking for. 

Then hurried back down the steps to a waiting Steve, who was sipping his tea, a bottle of whiskey and freshly cut lemon waiting by Danny's cup in case he wanted a Hot Toddy.

Steve raised his brow at him, so he nodded.

His partner poured a splash of the alcohol and squeezed in some lemon.

"Bring the mugs, babe?" Danny asked, moving to the back door and covered porch.

He spread out the quilt on the porch swing and then sat, holding up a corner for Steve to scoot in close and then wrapped the blanket over Steve's shoulder too.

They both sat in near silence as the snow continued to fall, coating the trees and lawn in glistening beauty, sipping their nightcap, enjoying the chill in the air, and just being together.

At some point, Steve leaned in, so Danny sat down his drink and wrapped his arm around his lover, pulling him even closer.

After a while, Steve told him, "I love it here."

Danny was a bit shocked...Steve admitting he loved Jersey, but still, he nodded his head against Steve's, who went on to say, "I love being with your family and the kids, but I mostly love being wherever you are."

Danny's heart was doing that funny beat, flip thing again, but he ultimately kissed the top of Steve's head in agreement.

"I ah… I've been thinking."

Steve said, "okay," but then fell silent again, giving Danny a chance to collect his thoughts, sensing that what Danny had to tell him was important.

"I love you, babe…and I know you love me, and I want to be with you…like all the time, even when you are getting on my nerves."

Steve sat up a bit and smirked at Danny, saying, "who's the goof now."

Danny laughed out, "shut up," but Steve was right. He was a goof…a hopelessly, in love goofball that wanted to spend the rest of his life with the man sitting next to him.

"Can I finish?" Danny asked and then went on, "I've been thinking about getting the reversal, and I've been thinking on how that might affect the progress I have made in the bedroom department, but I want to be in the field, and I want to have your back and I…"

Steve pulled away from him then but was nodding his head. "If that is what you want, Danno, that's what I want…I mean, I know you are worried about the bedroom, but like I told you before, I would take you any way I could get you, and that hasn't changed…I still feel that way…and the rest, we can deal with."

Danny reached across the distance and pulled Steve in for a hug, telling him, "okay then," when they pulled apart, he put the little box on his lap.

Steve glanced down at it and then back to Danny's face, his eyes questioning, but he hadn't voiced them, letting Danny take his time.

"I ah…I want you to have this as a tangible symbol of my love for you," Danny opened the little box and showed Steve the pendant and gold chain resting inside, glancing down at the last gift to him from his Gramps a few days before he passed. "This was my granddad's… It's an eight-spoked dharmachakra, each spoke represents the path to enlightenment…to rebirth…not that he knew that at the time. He picked it up on shore leave in Nam, while stationed on the Brisbane…liked it because it looked like a helm."

Steve was silent, but when Danny looked up, he had a weird expression on his face, one Danny hadn't remembered seeing before, and then Steve sputtered out, "Your grandfather was in the Navy!"

"You're missing the point here, babe…" He tried for annoyed, but could not stop the smile when Steve reached into the box and took out the necklace, slipping it over his head and resting his palm over the charm near his heart.

"Yes," Steve told him.

"Yes?" Danny asked.

"Yes…I accept…I do…Now and forever…I do."

Then Steve's pointed up to the little sprig of greenery that one of his sisters, no doubt, had taped to the support bar of the swing and swooped in for a kiss. It was demanding and greedy and hot as hell, and even though the snow was still falling and the night was cold, Danny was heating up nicely in all the right places until Steve pulled away and said, "oh yeah…"

Danny wiped his mouth as his lover rooted through the pockets of his cargo pants, finally finding and pulling out a little box of his own, telling him, "I got this for you, but I was waiting for the right time…"

Steve flipped open the box to reveal a ring, black and smooth, and shiny, and it was his turn to be speechless.

"It's Tungsten," Steve told him, "a rare metal, forged in fire and made to last a lifetime...I think that about sums us up. 

Do you?"

"Oh, I do, babe...I do."

Steve took the ring out of the box and slid it onto Danny's left ring finger and then pulled him for a soft kiss, whispering, "so now, we're official…we can make it legal whenever we decide."

H50H50H50


End file.
